Academy & U21s

[rigger]

Both our wing-backs are attack minded and have the pace to get up and down the pitch.

[philipl]

Hopefully now the under 21 long term injuries have reduced from 8 to 4 and the team has gone from losing nearly every game to winning nearly every game, some of this will rub off on their training mates in the first team.

Risen to 15th place which means Cup games next season if we stay in the top 16.

[arbitro]

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/march/12/-to-be-back-on-the-pitch-has-felt-so-good-/

It's so pleasing to see Isaac Whitehall back playing again. Having watched him up until his injury I thought he had a bright future and I know the club did too. He is the type of midfielder who we are crying out for in the first team. Tough, strong and he can play too. Hopefully Eustace sees this too and at the very least has him training at the STC.

[MarkBRFC]

Didn't realise he had gone nearly 1000 days without a game, that's a hell of a long time out.

How has he done last couple of games? At 21, a bit like Sam Barnes these lads really need to get on with there careers.

[1874]

No coincidence that since the academy is not forced to play JDT ball reults for both the U18s and U21s have improved 

[arbitro]

In a relatively one sided match Rovers won the Lancashire FA Professional Youth Cup 3-0. Rovers were dominant all over the pitch but the second and third goals came quite late which kept us all on edge. Rory Finneran dominated the midfield and Tyjon ran the channels really well but for me Rovers captain, Litherland was the stand out player. He was strong defensively, got the balance between playing out and defending right and stepped into midfield on several occasions to really good effect. We looked a really well coached group and it was our organisation that really limited Bolton to next to nothing. Quite a few of the team have already played under 21 football which augers well for the future.

an enjoyable evening and great to see a Rovers team picking up some silverware.

[47er]

14 minutes ago, arbitro said:

 

an enjoyable evening and great to see a Rovers team picking up some silverware.

or even winning a game!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

In a relatively one sided match Rovers won the Lancashire FA Professional Youth Cup 3-0. Rovers were dominant all over the pitch but the second and third goals came quite late which kept us all on edge. Rory Finneran dominated the midfield and Tyjon ran the channels really well but for me Rovers captain, Litherland was the stand out player. He was strong defensively, got the balance between playing out and defending right and stepped into midfield on several occasions to really good effect. We looked a really well coached group and it was our organisation that really limited Bolton to next to nothing. Quite a few of the team have already played under 21 football which augers well for the future.

an enjoyable evening and great to see a Rovers team picking up some silverware.

I’m inferring that Litherland is the latest from the long line of centre halves we’ve produced ? Any chance of a centre forward ?

[bluebruce]

Just seen that Michalski has only just turned 17 today. Whilst it's great for him to have been on our bench lately and hopefully he's one for the future, it seems pretty damning of our situation that a 16 year old keeper was sat on our bench. Of all the positions, that's the one that matures latest. It's probably the equivalent of having a 14 year old outfield player on the bench 

Hopefully he becomes something special.

[riverholmes]

I think we’ve had Hilton, Eastham, Michalski, Khan and Goddard rotate at times. Before, there was another player whose name escapes me who was occasionally coming in but now released.

The signing of Stergiakis didn’t work and it’s not clear to me why both Eastham and Hilton were given extended deals when clearly they’re not considered good enough.

It all seems rather unstructured and arbitrary. Whilst different players need games, they also need continuity to build confidence and lay a claim for promotion to the firsts. In my opinion, there should be a clear goalie hierarchy and an established No. 3 and 4, who are challenged to climb up the order. For me, there has been no clarity as to who is no.3 at the club for a number of years.

All that being said, hopefully, Michalski can establish himself and then get a loan move in due time to prepare to challenge for a first team squad spot. Not sure what happens if/when Hilton and Eastham go. Maybe, Goddard comes in.

 

Edited March 15 by riverholmes

[philipl]

Great and astonishing to have Isaac Whitehall back after 1,000 days and three fractures in the same place.

[chaddyrovers]

 

 

[riverholmes]

Really strange scenario with Lenni Rae Cirino, the U23s/U21s, long forgotten LWB appearing out of the blue to be called up by Gary Bowyer's Montserrat international team, with his younger brother who's on the books of Fleetwood.

Cirino has not featured for months, if not longer, for Rovers and now, he is, apparently, fit enough for a couple of games in the coming week, in the Caribbean (albeit, presumably, a relatively low standard). It would appear that he had returned from injury but was simply frozen out by the club as surplus to requirements. His treatment is a sharp contrast to that of Isaac Whitehall after his exceptionally long and serious  layoff. Whitehall has been eased back into the U23s with a view, I suppose, to see if he can still make it or, to help him with his career prospects when he moves on.

Cirino, was once one of the most highly rated players in the Rovers reserves under Billy Barr's management. The team finished around 5th in the PL2 that year after competing for even higher. He got his first team debut coming off the bench in a pre-season friendly against, I believe, Leeds, a few years back. He's since been overtaken by Batty and Gent in the left back role. Injuries, especially, seem to have damaged his prospects but it seems bizarre that he should be back available and the club are choosing not to field him for U23 games.

It could be that there is some financial disincentive for the club or he just hasn't been registered to play, or something like that, but again, it seems very harsh compared to how Whitehall has been given a chance to resurrect his career with game time. Whatever, he's at least got a chance with his call-up and not a bad place to play football, I would guess.

 

 

Edited March 21 by riverholmes

[Exiled_Rover]

It's just becoming exhausting now:

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/newcastle-united-to-face-bundesliga-competition-in-transfer-battle-for-blackburn-rovers-player/

[Norbert Rassragr]

Might as well not bother and just scout for disguarded 18 year olds.

[Polky]

 

[bluebruce]

7 hours ago, Polky said:

 

They have deadline day at the end of March? Might as well not have a deadline at all, it's less than a month until their final league game (though obviously the league's playoffs will continue a bit longer).

Don't know anything about him, transfermarkt doesn't even have his age, he doesn't even have a profile on the Rovers U18 page (although he's played 15 games for them and 3 for the U21s...more amateur hour stuff from the website), but best of luck to him. Given the lack of data on him I'm guessing he only broke into the U18s this season so is probably 16, in which case this is an excellent loan opportunity for him to experience men's football nice and early. I don't like when we send 18 or 19 year olds to that level, but if he's as young as I'm guessing it's a good move.

[bluebruce]

On 26/03/2024 at 20:25, Norbert Rassragr said:

Might as well not bother and just scout for disguarded 18 year olds.

Tbf, although it's been gutting and not the fees we should have been able to get, £18 million rising to £23 million for Wharton and £2.5 million with rumoured add ons of about another £2.5 million for Phillips are not numbers that make me want to give up the Academy. Not to mention all the current first teamers. The Academy pays its way and then some.

[jny]

Why promote 15 year olds to the first team (when that just puts them in the shop window for other clubs)? Another example of the absolutely shambolic running of this club 

[Upside Down]

10 hours ago, Polky said:

 

How long until we're having to loan players from Bamber Bridge?

[islander200]

37 minutes ago, jny said:

Why promote 15 year olds to the first team (when that just puts them in the shop window for other clubs)? Another example of the absolutely shambolic running of this club 

Presumably he is put in the first team as other clubs  have already expressed an interest and the club including him in our match Day squad is to try encourage him to sign a deal here 

In this day and age clubs are aware of the better young players at other clubs.Finneran had already won player of the year of his age group for the Irish national team before any inclusion in our first team 

[47er]

56 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

How long until we're having to loan players from Bamber Bridge?

Local Derbys--Rovers v Chorley, Rovers v Bamber Bridge etc

Players won't need the new coach, public transport available.

[rigger]

7 hours ago, 47er said:

Local Derbys--Rovers v Chorley, Rovers v Bamber Bridge etc

Players won't need the new coach, public transport available.

Unless it's a late KO on a bank holiday.

[riverholmes]

Gent had another good game for Motherwell at LWB, albeit against St Mirren. I hope the club have got him under a contract and have a plan for him. I have no idea how good he is but clearly is on the up currently. 

PS. Looking at that Bamber Bridge x/Twitter post reminds me of how pointless much of club social media activity is. What exactly does it offer that a webpage doesn’t? A rhetorical question, btw.

[bluebruce]

The latest LT article about Finneran, with quotes from GB, makes me think very much that we'll be losing him in the summer. All of the language is about being 'hopeful' he will stay, and acknowledging a 'life-changing' offer could come in from elsewhere. I can read between those lines.